


Him to Me to You

by lionessvalenti



Category: White Collar
Genre: Aftercare, Bathing/Washing, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-20
Updated: 2010-06-20
Packaged: 2017-10-10 04:56:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/95726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Peter is pulled from a scene, he asks Elizabeth to take care of Neal in his absence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Him to Me to You

**Author's Note:**

> Beta read by Lefaym.

Elizabeth opened the top dresser drawer and started putting away clean socks. She was accustomed to the sounds of hands and paddles against Neal's bare skin, or his gasps and cries, no matter how loud they were. She hardly even heard it anymore.

When she was home during Neal and Peter's sessions, she did housework, a habit she got into when they first started and she felt like she needed to keep busy. Now, it was just sort of convenient.

However, she heard it when the guest room door opened.

"Peter?" she asked, turning around, holding the laundry basket to her hip.

He walked into the bedroom, naked and sweaty, and made a beeline for the dresser and pulled out a pair of underwear. "I have to go," he said, while getting dressed. "I got a call, and there's a lead on that counterfeiter out of Newark. They're pretty sure we can bust him tonight."

"Are you taking Neal?"

Peter shook his head, reaching into the closet for a pair of trousers. "He's in no shape to go anywhere. That's... El, I need you to take care of him."

"Take care of him?" Elizabeth repeated, wide-eyed. "I wouldn't know what to do."

"Yeah, you would," Peter said. "You do. He just needs someone to be there for him. Stay with him. Hold him, let him talk, cry, whatever. Just do whatever comes naturally to you."

"God, Peter, I don't know."

He buttoned up his shirt and tucked the tails into his pants. He grabbed a pair of socks out of the drawer and sank onto the bed, pausing for the first time. "I... I don't like this. I feel like I'm abandoning him."

Elizabeth dropped her shoulders. That was when she realized that this wasn't just about Neal, but about Peter as well. And right then, he needed her to step up and be his partner, no matter what it entailed. She touched Peter at the temple, and pushed her fingers through his hair. "You're not," she said. "And I'll do everything I can for him. Put your shoes on, and catch the bad guys."

"Thank you," Peter said, squeezing her hand.

He finished getting dressed, and Elizabeth followed him to the guest room, and she stood in the doorway.

Neal sat naked on the floor, leaning against the bed, with his knees pulled up to his chest. Peter stood over him, talking in a low voice, that Elizabeth couldn't hear, and didn't especially want or need to hear.

She never asked questions about what went on between Neal and her husband. She loved Neal, she trusted them both, and that was all she needed to know. The details weren't her business, though she knew Peter would tell her anything she wanted to know, if she asked. Maybe that was why she never felt like she had to ask.

Neal nodded, never quite lifting his face from atop his knees. Peter pressed a kiss to the top of Neal's head, and walked out of the room. He paused to kiss Elizabeth, mumbling, "I love you", and he hurried down the stairs and out the door.

Elizabeth turned to the guest room and wavered, staring at Neal. She'd never seen him naked before, but she was more distracted by his vulnerability than his lack of clothes.

She swallowed and took the first step into the room, and kept moving forward until she settled on the floor next to him. She placed her hands in her lap, and took a deep breath. "Hey," she said softly.

Neal looked up at her, his cheeks were wet with tears. He looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he turned away from her. His shoulders shook with a quiet sob.

"Oh, honey," she said, resting a hand at the nape of his neck. At the touch, Neal sort of crumbled, and buried his face in her shirt. She wasn't Peter, and she couldn't give Neal what Peter could, so there wasn't any sense in trying to do that. She wouldn't even know where to start. So she took Peter's advice and just did whatever came naturally to her. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him as he sobbed. She rocked him gently and mumbled soothing nonsense into his hair.

"I'm sorry," Neal finally mumbled. He pulled partway back and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "I messed up your shirt."

She looked down at her front, where her shirt was wet with tears and who knows what else. "It's just a shirt," she said, stroking his hair. She looked down his front and saw semen dried on his stomach and faint bruising around his wrists. For the first time, she seriously wondered what Neal and Peter did together.

"I should go home," Neal said, not sounding like he wanted to move, let alone do everything he needed to do in order to leave. "There really isn't any reason for me to stay."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm going to ask you to stay the night. When Peter gets home, he'll want to know you're okay."

Tears welled up in Neal's eyes. "I'm sorry," he muttered again.

"It's okay," she replied, squeezing his shoulder. "How does a bath sound?"

Neal stared at the floor for a moment, then looked up at her. "For me?"

"Yes, honey, for you." Elizabeth smiled and wiped the tears off his cheek.

"I'd like that," he replied quietly. "Thank you."

Elizabeth stood and helped Neal to his feet. She kept a hold of his hand, leading him to the bathroom. He stood, hands behind his back, looking at the floor, while she filled the tub with warm water. She tried to keep her eyes to herself, but Neal had an unbelievable body, and she couldn't manage to _not_ look.

She added her favorite lavender bath oil, then reached for Neal to help him in. As she did, she noticed his bruised ass, and wondered how he managed to be sitting on the floor all that time. It had to hurt.

"You don't have to stay," Neal said, already looking a lot more relaxed.

"I don't mind," she replied, getting a clean washcloth out of the towel cabinet. She settled down on the tub's edge and handed him the cloth.

"Thanks." Neal immediately started washing away the come on his stomach. He sighed. "I don't normally act like this. I'm used to Peter being here, that's all." He paused, then quickly added, "Not that you haven't been great."

"It's not the same," Elizabeth said. She took the washcloth from him, and washed his shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm not offended."

Neal smiled, more to himself than at her, but it was good to see him smiling. "I appreciate it, you know. That you let Peter be with me. I don't think I've ever really thanked you."

"Well, you're welcome," she said, and paused. "Is that come in your hair?"

"Probably," Neal mumbled, his cheeks growing red.

"Here." She handed him the wash cloth again, and stood. She pulled the shower head off the base. "I'm going to wash your hair, then."

"You don't have to do that," Neal said. "I can do it myself."

"I know. Tilt your head back." Elizabeth smiled as she started wetting his hair. "And I don't _let_ Peter do anything. It was a mutual agreement we made. That's all."

Neal was quiet while she washed his hair, scratching her nails against his scalp. He looked up at her thoughtfully. "What do you get out of this?"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "I don't know," she replied, shrugging, and taking the shower head out of his hand to rinse his hair. "I like seeing Peter happy. He'd never admit to wanting something more than he has, and... he wanted this."

"And it doesn't bother you that your husband sleeps with another man? In your home?"

She shook her head. "I trust him. I trust you. I prefer it here than anywhere else. It keeps him close, and I like that."

Neal didn't say anything else through the rest of the bath, so Elizabeth didn't say anything either. She put up the shower head and helped Neal to his feet before getting a large, seafoam green towel out of the closet. She wrapped it around his shoulders.

"There you go," she said as he stepped out of the tub. "Do you want anything to eat? Are you hungry?"

He shook his head. "No, thanks. I think I just want to sleep," he said, tossing the towel into the hamper.

"Okay." She kept a hand on his back as they walked back down the hall. Neal took a step toward the guest room.

"Well, thanks. For everything."

Elizabeth smiled and tried not to laugh. "Neal, honey, why don't you stay in here with me?"

Neal's eyes went wide. "Are you sure that's okay? I mean, do you think Peter would be okay with that?"

"I think so," she replied. She didn't really want to point out to Neal that Peter wouldn't have a leg to stand on if he took issue with Neal sleeping non-sexually in the same bed with her, considering the reason they were all in this situation in the first place.

She took his hand and led him into the bedroom. "Let's just find you something to wear. Peter's got some stuff you can borrow."

Neal opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's..." Neal laughed, looking down at the floor. "Peter doesn't let me wear clothes in bed."

"Oh!" Elizabeth felt a sudden surge of arousal, more toward Peter than Neal, that she promptly tried to ignore. "Never?"

"Never."

"Well, I don't want to get you in trouble. Go ahead and get in." She motioned to the bed. "That's my side. You can take Peter's."

As Neal climbed into the bed, Elizabeth went over to her dresser. She considered her options of bedclothes, and decided not to suddenly wear more clothes just because Neal was there. She slipped out of her pants, and changed into a soft, pink camisole.

"I didn't look," Neal said as Elizabeth hurried into the bed, and under the blankets.

She smiled. "I didn't think you did. If there's anything I know about you, Neal, you're a gentleman. You don't have to be so far away. You might fall off the side of the bed."

He scooted right up next to her, and Elizabeth wrapped her arm around him. "Neal?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened to your wrists?"

He paused, and then smiled, like he just remembered he was bruised. "Oh, Peter bought these leather cuffs, but they weren't very comfortable. They kind of need to be broken in. But they looked nice."

"As long as they looked nice," she said, reaching around with her other hand to stroke his damp hair. She liked this feeling, holding Neal in her arms, taking care of him. She'd never quite understood what it was Peter got from this, but all of a sudden, she wanted to be a part of it. She wanted to see Neal in the leather cuffs, and watch Peter care for him afterward. She liked this taste of the fulfillment it offered.

Elizabeth opened her eyes, and realized she had drifted off to sleep. She looked around, and saw what must have woken her: Peter standing at the foot of the bed, watching them with a peculiar smile on his face.

"Hey," she said. "Did you get 'em?"

Peter grinned. "We got him." He walked around the bed and leaned over to kiss her. "How did things go here?"

Elizabeth looked down at Neal, who was fast asleep, and using her breasts as a pillow. She smiled. "I think it went okay."

Peter pushed Neal's hair back, away from his forehead, with an expression of utter fondness. He turned his head back to Elizabeth. "Thank you, for doing this."

"No problem," she replied. She swallowed as he started to walk away, pulling at the buttons on his shirt. "Peter?"

He turned back around. "Yeah?"

Elizabeth fell silent for a moment, not quite sure how to say what she was thinking. She took a deep breath. "I want to do this again. I don't want to get in your way, or take anything from you, or mess up what you and Neal have, but this... I liked how it felt. All of it."

Peter stepped closer the bed, then squatted next to it, so he could look Elizabeth in the face. He considered her for a moment. "This has never been about excluding you," he said carefully.

"I know."

"Seeing the two of you together like this, it... I think we can figure something out. We can talk about it in the morning, the three of us."

Elizabeth smiled. "Sounds good."

Peter stood, and she watched as he undressed. He climbed into bed and there wasn't really room for three of them, though it helped that Neal was draped across Elizabeth's torso. Peter wrapped his arms around them, and Neal's eyes opened.

"Peter?"

"I'm here," Peter replied, kissing the back of Neal's neck.

"Should I go?" Neal asked, lifting his head slightly.

"No," Elizabeth said. "You stay right here."

He set his head back down and closed his eyes. "Okay."

Over Neal's head, Elizabeth and Peter shared a smile.


End file.
